Planning the inquiry
1. What is our purpose?
To inquire into the following:
Class/grade: Year 6/Grade 5 Age group: 10-11
School: School code: 7061
transdisciplinary theme: How the World Works
•
central idea: Fractions, decimal fractions and percentages* are ways of representing whole-­‐part relationships.
Summative assessment task(s):
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the central
idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?
Title: Fractions, decimal fractions and percentages
Teacher(s):
PYP planner
Date: April 7th - May 7th, 2014.
Proposed duration: 4 weeks number of hours over number of weeks 8 hrs/wk
Challenge/extension group
The students chose/get one basic concept in the unit and design a lesson
for year 5 students. They have 7 –8 minutes to teach the concept to a group
of year 5 students. The students have manipulatives, laptops and other
resources to choose from to deliver the lesson. They also have the option to
make their own manipulatives. The students use a task sheet and rubric and
assessed based on their understanding of the CI and the concepts.
Working group
Mathletics assessment sheets – Level G (Year 6)
Support group
2. What do we want to learn?
What are the key concepts (form, function, causation, change, connection,
perspective, responsibility, reflection) to be emphasized within this inquiry?
Form, function, change
What lines of inquiry will define the scope of the inquiry into the central idea?
•
The relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages*
•
Operations with fractions, decimal fractions and percentages*
•
Use fractions, decimal fractions and percentages* in real-life situations
Mathletics assessment sheets – Level F (Year 5)
What teacher questions/provocations will drive these inquiries?
* About 1/3 of the year 6 group have demonstrated enough proficiency for
learning engagements related to percentages
* About 10% of the year group requires support to understand the concept of
fractions and decimal fractions and percentage is not developmentally
appropriate in unit.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
1. What is a fraction? Form
2. Why do we need fractions, decimal fractions & percentages*? Function
3. How can we change fractions, decimal fractions & percentages*?
Change
Planning the inquiry
4. How best might we learn?
What are the learning experiences suggested by the teacher and/or students to encourage the
students to engage with the inquiries and address the driving questions?
3. How might we know what we have learned?
This column should be used in conjunction with “How best might we learn?”
Pre-assessment:
The students were differentiated based on their GLoSS ratios and proportions results and given
a chart with three or four concepts (form, function, change, connection/perspective) and were
asked to write what they thought they knew about fractions or fractions & decimals or fractions,
decimal fractions and percentages. On the back of the poster they were asked to outline what
they wanted to know more about as a group.
Tuning in:
The students had the opportunity to do Rocket writing and in 5 minutes or less they had to write
the many uses of fractions were used/applied in real-life situations. Then they listed their own
questions about fractions.
Finding out:
The first week of the unit the students chose one of their own questions with their group and
used technology, math textbooks, manipulatives and experts to discover the answer to the
questions and then present their understanding to the class in whatever presentation format
they chose.
What are the possible ways of assessing students’ prior knowledge and skills?
What evidence will we look for?
Pre-assessment
Self-assessment – students were given the key learning for each lesson and
given the option to work independently, with a buddy or with a teacher to
learn and demonstrate understand of concepts.
Formative assessments
•The students work independently, in small groups or with a teacher to solve
complete a concept card about fractions
•Students work in pairs, groups of three etc to teach each other different
concepts connected to fractions, decimals and percent (peerassessment, peer teaching, etc)
•Structured worksheets were given to students for assessment on elements
of fractions, decimals, percents (Mathletics, Abacus, etc)
•Students reflections in notebooks and teacher observation were also used.
•Quick check - Students were given a few questions to determine their
understanding of a previously covered concept to check their
understanding
•
•
Constructing meaning of multiplication:
• Students guided their own inquiry using resources available in class.
• Children watched many videos from the Internet
• They did activities (games, puzzles, quizzes, etc.) available on the internet & paper based.
• They understood better with the help of hands on (fractions tiles, cards)
• Through out the unit, a fractions kit and manipulatives for percentage and decimal fractions
were created depending on the needs of the children.
Transferring meaning:
• The children worked on questions from Mathletics and other sources
• They used the fractions dominoes in games
• The children solved problems from their math workbooks
On the math board, the children wrote their inquiries on a daily basis. They also wrote their
discoveries corresponding to their inquiries.
Applying meaning:
• They used fractions in their daily procedures
• They created and taught a lesson on fractions on their for year 5
What opportunities will occur for transdisciplinary skills development and for
the development of the attributes of the learner profile?
5. What resources need to be gathered?
What people, places, audio-visual materials, related literature, music, art, computer software, etc, will be available?
Text books: Abacus (Textbook 1, 2, & 3), Prentice Hall Mathematics (Course 2, 3 and 4)
Online
Mathletics
(Rainforest
and
Online
BBC Bitesize Math – Number – fractions, Math is Fun (website), YouTube
What areresources:
the possibleBrainPOP,
ways of assessing
student
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in the
context
of Workbooks),
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(students
choices)
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lines of inquiry? What evidence will we look for?
Teacher blogs: Authentic Inquiry Maths http://authenticinquirymaths.blogspot.com/2013/06/fractions-tuning-in.html
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My Journey to 5 Grade: http://www.myjourneyto5thgrade.com/2013/01/the-many-uses-of-fractions.html
Grade 4L 2013/14: http://blogs.wab.edu/grade4l/2014/03/27/13-is-bigger-than-12/
Manipulatives: fraction blocks, fraction strips and rainbow fraction tiles; Math games: See games on Y6 math folder.
How will the classroom environment, local environment, and/or the community be used to facilitate the inquiry?
Year 5 students as learners, manipulatives, teachers, teaching assistant
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Reflecting on the inquiry
6. To what extent did we achieve our purpose?
7. To what extent did we include the elements of the PYP?
Assess the outcome of the inquiry by providing evidence of students’
understanding of the central idea. The reflections of all teachers involved in the
planning and teaching of the inquiry should be included.
What were the learning experiences that enabled students to:
How you could improve on the assessment task(s) so that you would have a
more accurate picture of each student’s understanding of the central idea.
•
develop an understanding of the concepts identified in “What do we want to
learn?”
•
demonstrate the learning and application of particular transdisciplinary skills?
•
develop particular attributes of the learner profile and/or attitudes?
In each case, explain your selection.
Concepts:
Form (similarities & differences)
What was the evidence that connections were made between the central idea
and the transdisciplinary theme?
Function (pattern)
Change (transformation)
Thinking skills: Acquisition of knowledge, comprehension, application,
evaluation
Communication skills: Presenting
Attitudes: Independence, Curiosity
Attributes: Inquirers, Knowledgeable
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Reflecting on the inquiry
8. What student-initiated inquiries arose from the learning?
Record a range of student-initiated inquiries and student questions and highlight any
that were incorporated into the teaching and learning.
At this point teachers should go back to box 2 “What do we want to learn?” and
highlight the teacher questions/provocations that were most effective in driving the
inquiries.
What student-initiated actions arose from the learning?
Record student-initiated actions taken by individuals or groups showing their ability to
reflect, to choose and to act.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
9. Teacher notes